Huey Lewis to headline Detroit show's charity preview

The preview runs from 6 to 9 p.m. with the Huey Lewis performance starting at 9 p.m.

The Detroit auto show has found its headliner.

Huey Lewis and the News will perform following the auto show’s annual Charity Preview on Jan. 15 at Cobo Center in Detroit, show organizers said today.

“An Evening with Huey Lewis and the News” is included with the purchase of a Charity Preview ticket. Tickets are $400 each.

The preview runs from 6 to 9 p.m. with the performance starting at 9 p.m.

From industry executives to politicians, each year thousands of people attend the charity gala.

In 2015, 13,350 people attended the event and raised $5.34 million.

More than $100 million for southeastern Michigan children’s charities has been raised by the preview since 1976, and nearly half, $43 million, has been raised in the last 10 years.

Max Muncey, a spokesman for the auto show, said Huey Lewis and the News was picked due to their availability and because the group's music spans across generations.

The group recently got a publicity boost because of its link to the Back to the Future movie trilogy with the song "Power of Love." The original movie celebrated its 30th anniversary last month -- and Oct. 21, 2015 was made famous by Back to the Future Part II, when actor Michael J. Fox’s character Marty McFly travels 30 years into the future.

“We look for performances that appeal to a wide audience,” Muncey said.